Following Recalls, CPSC Raises the Standards on Cribs

By Howard Aughinbaugh

Beginning June 28, 2011, all cribs sold in the U.S. must meet the new federal requirements set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The new regulations were introduced in response to a long list of safety complaints that forced crib manufacturers across the industry to put their recall management to the test over the past decade.

In the past four years alone more than 11 million cribs have been recalled from the marketplace. And the new federal requirements hold companies accountable for the safety of cribs, bassinets and other children’s sleep products.

Since 2000, there have been at least 32 cases of infant suffocation attributed to detaching drop side rails. As a result, new CPSC requirements include making hardware stronger, improving mattress support durability and prohibiting traditional drop slides. Immobilizers and repair kits are no longer allowed as a solution to the drop side crib problem.

These new rules apply not only to new cribs, but also require child care centers to replace old cribs with cribs that meet the new compliance standards. And it is now illegal to sublet, lease, resell or even offer for use any crib that does not meet the CPSC’s new stricter standards.

These new guidelines apply not only to cribs manufactured in the U.S., but also to those that are imported here for sale. To protect themselves against product liability and recall risk, manufacturers must now ensure that safety testing of cribs that will be sold in the U.S. is more rigorous, no matter where the products are being manufactured. With a large portion of cribs sold in the U.S. originating in Chinese manufacturing facilities, the CPSC is taking a greater role in monitoring the safety of all products, cribs and sleep products included, that are coming from the country.

Private firms are already stepping up to the plate to ensure that foreign made products meet the CPSC standards. For example, SGS North America Inc, a division of the world’s largest safety and inspection company, recently announced that their Shanghai lab has become the first Chinese testing facility certified to provide crib safety testing services in compliance with the latest CPSC rules. According to an SGS press release, “the accreditation provides local testing resources for Chinese factories that produce full-size and / or non-full-size cribs destined to be sold in the U.S.”

The new CPSC regulations are a signal that compliance and safety will not be compromised, even in an increasingly global marketplace where goods made in one country are often sold in another. As a spokesperson for SGS pointed out, “having testing services near the point of manufacture is going to be essential in order to avoid delays in getting new models to market.” Working together with federal and private organization,s your company can not only survive these regulatory changes, but also thrive in the U.S. marketplace.

Manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad should be getting ready to meet these new requirements. The best way to avoid a costly recall is to make the extra effort to ensure that your safety and compliance measures are above and beyond those mandated by the regulatory agencies, especially when children’s products are involved.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.